Wild blueberries are a unique natural remedy for the prevention of many diseases. The berry has a vascular strengthening effect, improves vision and memory functions, and has antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties. Blueberry jam will allow you to have a valuable product on hand to support your body during the winter.
Subtleties of making blueberry jam
It is necessary to cook blueberries over low heat, using steel or enamel pans.Stainless steel products give the finished product an unpleasant “metallic” taste. Using aluminum cookware will result in oxides getting into the jam, since the film is destroyed during the manufacturing and heating process.
In blueberry recipes, sugar acts as a sweetener, preservative and thickener. The generally accepted ratio is 1:1, but how much sugar you need depends on how sweet you want the dessert to be. With less sand, the calorie content of the dessert is reduced, but the consistency can turn out to be very liquid. To avoid this problem, additional pectin supplements are used. Recipes vary in cooking time; there are options without cooking.
Preparation of the main ingredient
For the recipe, ripe forest or garden blueberries are used without signs of rot. The fruits are carefully sorted, foreign debris and objects are removed. Berries must be washed under running warm water. You can place fresh raw materials in a basin of water; in this case, uncollected leaves and twigs will float up and can be drained along with the liquid. After washing, it is necessary for the blueberries to dry; to do this, place them in a colander for a while.
Blueberry jam recipes
Blueberry jam can be made only from berries, but since the quantity of such raw materials is limited and it can be difficult to collect in sufficient quantities, additional ingredients are often used in recipes. To give a richer taste, seasonings in the form of cinnamon, cloves or coriander are often added.
Quick recipe “Five minutes”
The berries are covered with sugar in a 1:1 ratio and put in the refrigerator for 12 hours.Next, the container is placed on the fire and brought to a boil. Heat the mixture over low heat for 5 minutes, then pour it into jars.
A simple recipe for the winter
For this recipe, you first need to boil the syrup; for 1 kg of berries you need to take 4 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water. The liquid is heated and sugar is added, while stirring. The resulting syrup is poured over the mashed blueberries, and the container with the berry mixture is placed on the fire for 20 minutes. Periodically you need to stir and skim off the foam that forms on top. The hot dessert is poured into jars, closed with a metal lid and left upside down to cool.
In a slow cooker
The advantage of this recipe is that it requires minimal cooking time, since in order to prepare the delicacy, you do not need to constantly stir the berry mixture and skim off the foam. For dessert you will need 1 kg of berries and 0.5 sugar, which are poured into a slow cooker. It is correct to set the equipment to extinguishing mode for 2 hours.
No cooking
The advantage of a no-cook recipe is its speed, since it only takes a couple of minutes to prepare the delicacy. Selected berries are crushed in a blender. For 1 kg of blueberries you will need from 1.3 to 2 kg of granulated sugar, depending on how sweet the jam needs to be made.
With strawberry
The process of making jam according to this recipe is similar to the “five-minute” option.
For the recipe you need:
- strawberries 500 g;
- blueberries 120 g;
- lemon juice 2 tbsp. l.;
- granulated sugar 200 g;
- pectin sugar 200 g.
Strawberries are brought to the consistency of puree, mixed with blueberries, lemon, and the mixture is covered with sugar. Place the container in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, during which the juice will release.Next, place the pan over low heat and bring the contents to a boil, then cook for 5 to 10 minutes. When hot, the jam is poured into jars.
Blueberry recipe with sugar
This method of preserving the harvest allows you to get the maximum benefit from the berries, since when using it, the substances of the berries are preserved in full. To prepare the delicacy you need 1 kg of berries and 2 kg of sugar. The blueberries are crushed by hand and mixed with sugar, after which they are removed to settle for 15 minutes. The sweet delicacy is placed in sterilized jars and covered with 2 cm thick sugar on top, after which it is rolled up with a lid.
With orange
This jam is a good source of vitamins.
You can make jam using the following ingredients:
- blueberries 1.2 kg;
- orange juice 200 g;
- lemon juice 200 g;
- orange zest 1 tbsp. l.;
- cinnamon stick;
- granulated sugar 6 cups.
You can use unrefined cane sugar in the recipe, which will give the jam an unusual taste and make the composition even more healthy. The juices are poured into a saucepan, heated and sugar, zest, and cinnamon are added. The contents are brought to a boil over low heat, after which the intensity of the flame decreases and cook with constant stirring for 10 minutes. The pan is removed from the stove and left to cool for 12 hours. Next, the mixture is brought to a boil and cooked until a thick consistency is obtained. The cinnamon stick is removed and the delicious jam is poured into jars.
With yellowfix
Recipes with jellyfix allow you to get jam with a consistency similar to jelly.
For the recipe you need:
- blueberries 1 kg;
- sugar 0.5 kg;
- Zhelfix 40 g.
The berries are placed on the stove and heated until the juice appears.The blueberries are passed through a blender and returned to the jam container. Zhelfix, pre-mixed with 2 tbsp, is added to the pan. l. Sahara. The mixture is heated, this must be done until it boils, after which sugar is added and boiled for 5 minutes. If prepared correctly, the jam will look like jelly after cooling.